Whether you work in a factory, public building, outside or in serviced office space, the daily grind can easily get you down.
Particularly when the weather is nice, employees can usually think of a great many places they would rather be than stuck on a production line, teaching a class or staring at a computer screen.
But if they want to put food on the table and pay the bills, most people have to work.
The best thing is usually to knuckle down and do as well as possible in the course of your employment, and try and make a real and tangible difference.
Putting in a hard day’s work and seeing some end result is a highly worthwhile experience – good for personal wellbeing and, some would say, the soul.
But there is little more demoralising than flogging yourself for nine hours a day, every day, and discovering that your efforts have gone unnoticed, making little difference either way.
According to Dr David Fraser, director of drdavidfraser.com, it is vital that employees feel as if their job is important if they are to gain any satisfaction from their work.
If this is not the case, their spirits are likely to drop, and this loss of morale can quickly translate into costly employee attrition.
The worker will find themselves looking for another job, which ultimately costs the company in terms of lost skills and experience, and the need to advertise for and train up a replacement.
In order to keep hold of their staff, employers need to value the contribution of their staff and ensure they remain fully engaged in their jobs.
“Quite a simple way to reward staff is to give them fulfilling work to do and make it an engaging workplace,” Dr Fraser stated.
“That doesn’t mean being soft on them – it might mean being quite tough at times – but employees still know when they’re involved in something worthwhile and something that’s well run.”
He said employers need to understand people’s individual needs and motivations, and help them achieve their personal goals.
This will give them reason to look forward to work each day – or at least ensure they turn up ready and willing to put in a hard shift.
